Youngest Winners in LPGA Tour History
Who is the youngest golfer ever to win a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour? The golfer who holds that record was only 15 years old when she earned her first LPGA victory. That same golfer also dominates the list of those 18 years old and younger who've won on the LPGA Tour, a list that appears below.
The Record-Holder: Lydia Ko, Age 15
Lydia Ko holds the record as the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour. She set the record on August 26, 2012, when she won the Canadian Women's Open at age 15. To be exact, Ko was 15 years, 4 months, 3 days old at the time of her victory.Ko was playing as an amateur, and it wasn't until after she won the same tournament again in 2013 that she decided to turn pro. By the time of the 2012 CWO, Ko was already the record-holder as the youngest winner on any significant pro tour: At age 14, in January of 2012, Ko won the Women's NSW Open on Australia's ALPG Tour. (Her record as youngest winner anywhere has since been broken.)
Ko opened the 2012 Canadian Women's Open with a round of 68, and added another 68 in the second round. A score of 72 in Round 3 gave her a one-stroke leader over LPGA heavyweight Inbee Park heading into the final round. Just about everyone expected that the 15-year-old, with one of the best golfers in the world hot on her trail, would not be able to finish off the win. But Ko went out in that fourth round and carded a 5-under 67. Her final score of 13-under 275 was three strokes better than Park, who finished as runner-up.
Ko didn't just set a new record as the LPGA's youngest winner. She also was the first amateur in more than 43 years to win on the LPGA Tour.
The List: Youngest LPGA Winners
Following is the list of all the golfers in LPGA Tour history who've won tournament at ages younger than 19 years old. You'll immediately notice that Ko takes up a lot of those spots, with Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson each nabbing several, as well. Below the list is a look at the progression of this record over time.
- Lydia Ko was 15 years, 4 months, 3 days old when she won the 2012 Canadian Women's Open
- Lydia Ko was 16 years, 4 months, 1 day old when she won the 2013 Canadian Women's Open
- Lexi Thompson was 16 years, 7 months, 8 days old when she won the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic
- Lydia Ko was 17 years, 3 days old when she won the 2014 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic
- Lydia Ko was 17 years, 2 months, 26 days old when she won the 2014 LPGA Marathon Classic
- Lydia Ko was 17 years, 6 months, 30 days when she won the 2014 CME Globe Tour Championship
- Lydia Ko was 17 years, 9 months, 29 days old when she won the 2015 Women's Australian Open
- Brooke Henderson was 17 years, 11 months, 6 days old when she won the 2015 LPGA Cambia Portland Classic
- Lydia Ko was 18 years, 2 days old when she won the 2015 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic
- Marlene Hagge was 18 years, 14 days old when she won the 1952 Sarasota Open
- Marlene Hagge was 18 years, 2 months, 15 days old when she won the 1952 Bakersfield Open
- Lydia Ko was 18 years, 3 months old when she won the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women's Open
- Lydia Ko was 18 years, 4 months, 20 days old when she won the 2015 Evian Championship
- Lydia Ko was 18 years, 6 months, 1 day old when she won the 2015 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship
- Lexi Thompson was 18 years, 8 months old when she won the 2013 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia
- Brooke Henderson was 18 years, 9 months old when she won the 2016 Women's PGA Championship
- Lexi Thompson was 18 years, 9 months old when she won the 2013 Lorena Ochoa Invitational
- Paula Creamer was 18 years, 9 months, 17 days old when she won the 2005 Sybase Classic
- Brooke Henderson was 18 years, 9 months old when she won the 2016 Portland Classic
- Morgan Pressel was 18 years, 10 months, 9 days old when she won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship
- Lydia Ko was 18 years, 11 months old when she won the 2016 Kia Classic
- Lydia Ko was 18 years, 11 months, 10 days old when she won the 2016 ANA Inspiration
- Jessica Korda was 18 years, 11 months, 2 weeks old when she won the 2012 Women's Australian Open
- Minjee Lee was 18 years, 11 months, 3 weeks old when she won the 2015 Kingsmill Championship
It wasn't until Paula Creamer won the 2005 Sybase Classic that anyone else younger than 19 won on the LPGA Tour. Creamer was 18 years, 9 months, 17 days old, so Hagge's record from 1952 still stood.
Hagge's record was finally broken by Lexi Thompson at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic, 59 years after Hagge, one of the LPGA Tour's 13 founding members, set it. Thompson was 16 years, 7 months, 8 days at the 2011 Navistar, setting a new record and also becoming the first golfer younger than 18 (and the first younger than 17) to win on the LPGA Tour.
And then, one year later, in 2012, Lydia Ko set the record that stands today by winning the Canadian Women's Open at age 15.
Related article: Youngest winners on the PGA Tour
